Terry Hayes (born 8 October 1951) is an Australian

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

, film producer and

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

. He is best known for his work with Kennedy Miller production house, with whom he won the AACTA Award for Best Film twice, for '' The Year My Voice Broke'' (1987) and ''Flirting'' (1991).

Biography

Early years and journalism

Hayes was born in Sussex, England and emigrated to Australia at the age of 5. He began his career as a

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

, working as the US correspondent for the Australian newspaper ''The'' ''Sydney Morning Herald''. He spent periods as an

investigative reporter Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, racial injustice, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend ...

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (periodical), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the ...

and radio show host.

Kennedy Miller

Hayes met director George Miller when he did the novelisation of the script to ''

Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It centres on a series of post-apocalyptic and dystopian action films. The franchise began in 1979 with '' Mad Max'', and was followed by three sequels: ...

'' (1979). He and Miller got on well and the director subsequently hired Hayes to help on the script for ''

Mad Max 2 ''Mad Max 2'' (released as ''The Road Warrior'' in the United States) is a 1981 Australian Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic Utopian and dystopian fiction, dystopian action film directed by George Miller (filmmaker), G ...

'' (1981).David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p82 Hayes subsequently became an in-house writer for Kennedy Miller, working on the scripts for all their subsequent mini-series. Further work included a script for '' Dead Calm'' in 1989.Scott Murray, "Terry Hayes: Interweaving the Fabric", ''Cinema Papers'', November 1989 p25-29, 76 He wrote ''Bangkok Hilton'' specifically as a vehicle for Nicole Kidman.

Hollywood and novelist

Hayes moved to Hollywood. His work includes an unused screenplay for ''Planet of the Apes'', titled ''Return of the Apes'' in 1994. In

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, Hayes was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Screenplay for his work on '' From Hell''. Hayes'

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

, '' I Am Pilgrim'' was published by Transworld Publishers on 18 July 2013. That same month,

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

acquired the film rights to the novel with Hayes attached to adapt it into a screenplay. His second novel entitled ''The Year of the Locust'' was planned for release in 2016, was finally released 9 November 2023. In 2024, Hayes and British author Tammy Cohen were revealed as the writers of the tie-in novel to the film '' Argylle'', under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

"Elly Conway". The book overleaf credits the (pseudonymous) author's full name as "Elizabeth Conway".

Personal life

Hayes married in 1999 and has four children.

Filmography

Film

Uncredited script revisions

Television

Novels

*'' I Am Pilgrim'' (2013) *'' The Year of the Locust'' (2023) *''Argylle: A Novel'' (2024) – — writing as Elly Conway (writing team pseudonym), co-authored with Tammy Cohen. A tie-in novel to the '' Argylle'' media franchise.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Terry Living people 1951 births Australian male screenwriters Australian film producers 21st-century Australian novelists 20th-century Australian writers 21st-century Australian writers English emigrants to Australia The Sydney Morning Herald people Australian male journalists Australian male novelists